Skip to main content

Advertisement

Springer Nature Link
Log in

Brominated flame retardants in food and environmental samples from a production area in China: concentrations and human exposure assessment

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Human exposure to brominated flame retardants (BFRs: decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), hexabromobenzene (HBB), pentabromoethylbenzene (PBEB), pentabromotoluene (PBT), 1,2,3,4,5-pentabromobenzene (PBBz), and 2,3,5,6-tetrabromo-p-xylene (TBX)) in a brominated flame retardant production area (Weifang, Shandong Province, China) was estimated. Thirty food samples, 14 air samples, and 13 indoor dust samples were analyzed. BDE209 and DBDPE were the dominant BFRs in all samples. Higher alternative brominated flame retardant (including DBDPE, HBB, PBEB, PBT, PBBz, and TBX) concentrations were found in vegetables than in fish and meat; thus, plant-original foods might be important alternative BFR sources in the study area. The BDE209 and alternative BFR concentrations in air were 1.5 × 104 to 2.2 × 105 and 620 to 3.6 × 104 pg/m3, respectively. Mean total BFR exposures through the diet, inhalation, and indoor dust ingestion were 570, 3000, and 69 ng/d, respectively (16, 82, and 2 % of total intake, respectively). Inhalation was the dominant BFR source except for DBDPE, for which diet dominated. BDE209 contributed 85 % of the total BFR intake in the study area.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.

References

  • Alaee, M., Arias, P., Sjodin, A., & Bergman, A. (2003). An overview of commercially used brominated flame retardants, their applications, their use patterns in different countries/regions and possible modes of release. Environment International, 29(6), 683–689.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brommer, S., Harrad, S., Van den Eede, N., & Covaci, A. (2012). Concentrations of organophosphate esters and brominated flame retardants in German indoor dust samples. Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 14(9), 2482–2487.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, M. L., Wang, L., Chi, Y. K., Mao, C. C., Lung, S. C., & Mao, I. F. (2012). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in foodstuffs from Taiwan: level and human dietary exposure assessment. Science of the Total Environment, 431, 183–187.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, K. C., Zheng, J. S., Leung, H. M., & Wong, M. H. (2008). Exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers associated with consumption of marine and freshwater fish in Hong Kong. Chemosphere, 70(9), 1707–1720.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chovancova, J., Conka, K., Kocan, A., & Sejakova, Z. S. (2011). PCDD, PCDF, PCB and PBDE concentrations in breast milk of mothers residing in selected areas of Slovakia. Chemosphere, 83(10), 1383–1390.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Collins, C., Fryer, M., & Grosso, A. (2006). Plant uptake of non ionic organic chemicals. Environmental Science and Technology, 40(1), 45–52.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Covaci, A., Harrad, S., Abdallah, M. A., Ali, N., Law, R. J., Herzke, D., & de Wit, C. A. (2011). Novel brominated flame retardants: a review of their analysis, environmental fate and behaviour. Environment International, 37(2), 532–556.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • De la Torre, A., Alonso, M. B., Martinez, M. A., Sanz, P., Shen, L., Reiner, E. J., Lailson-Brito, J., Torres, J. P., Bertozzi, C., Marigo, J., Barbosa, L., Cremer, M., Secchi, E., Malm, O., Eljarrat, E., & Barcelo, D. (2012a). Dechlorane-related compounds in franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) from southeastern and southern coast of Brazil. Environmental Science and Technology, 46(22), 12364–12372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De la Torre, A., Concejero, M. A., & Martinez, M. A. (2012b). Concentrations and sources of an emerging pollutant, decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE), in sewage sludge for land application. Journal of Environmental Sciences (China), 24(3), 558–563.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fromme, H., Hilger, B., Kopp, E., Miserok, M., & Volkel, W. (2014). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and “novel” brominated flame retardants in house dust in Germany. Environment International, 64, 61–68.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gauthier, L. T., Hebert, C. E., Weseloh, D. V. C., & Letcher, R. J. (2007). Current-use flaime retardants in the eggs of herring gulls (Larus argentatus) from the Laurentian Great lakes. Environmental Science and Technology, 41(13), 4561–4567.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gorga, M., Martinez, E., Ginebreda, A., Eljarrat, E., & Barcelo, D. (2013). Determination of PBDEs, HBB, PBEB, DBDPE, HBCD, TBBPA and related compounds in sewage sludge from Catalonia (Spain). Science of the Total Environment, 444, 51–59.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gouteux, B., Alaee, M., Mabury, S. A., Pacepavicius, G., & Muir, D. C. (2008). Polymeric brominated flame retardants: are they a relevant source of emerging brominated aromatic compounds in the environment? Environmental Science and Technology, 42(24), 9039–9044.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Isobe, T., Ogawa, S. P., Ramu, K., Sudaryanto, A., & Tanabe, S. (2012). Geographical distribution of non-PBDE-brominated flame retardants in mussels from Asian coastal waters. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 19(8), 3107–3117.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jin, J., Wang, Y., Yang, C. Q., Hu, J. C., Liu, W. Z., & Cui, J. (2010). Human exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers at production area, China. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 29(5), 1031–1035.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kiviranta, H., Ovaskainen, M. L., & Vartiainen, T. (2004). Market basket study on dietary intake of PCDD/Fs, PCBs, and PBDEs in Finland. Environment International, 30(7), 923–932.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, Y., Qiu, X., Zhao, Y., Ma, J., Yang, Q., & Zhu, T. (2013). Polybromobenzene pollutants in the atmosphere of North China: levels, distribution, and sources. Environmental Science and Technology, 47(22), 12761–12767.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ma, J., Addink, R., Yun, S., Cheng, J., Wang, W., & Kannan, K. (2009). Polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in soil, vegetation, workshop-floor dust, and electronic shredder residue from an electronic waste recycling facility and in soils from a chemical industrial complex in eastern China. Environmental Science and Technology, 43(19), 7350–7356.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ma, Y., Salamova, A., Venier, M., & Hites, R. A. (2013). Has the phase-out of PBDEs affected their atmospheric levels? Trends of PBDEs and their replacements in the Great Lakes atmosphere. Environmental Science and Technology, 47(20), 11457–11464.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mikula, P., & Svobodova, Z. (2006). Brominated flame retardants in the environment: their sources and effects (a review). Acta Veterinaria Brno, 75(4), 587–599.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mo, L., Wu, J. P., Luo, X. J., Zou, F. S., & Mai, B. X. (2012). Bioaccumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, decabromodiphenyl ethane, and 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane flame retardants in kingfishers (Alcedo atthis) from an electronic waste-recycling site in South China. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 31(9), 2153–2158.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ni, H. G., Ding, C., Lu, S. Y., Yin, X. L., & Samuel, S. O. (2012). Food as a main route of adult exposure to PBDEs in Shenzhen, China. Science of the Total Environment, 437, 10–14.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ohta, S., Ishizuka, D., Nishimura, H., Nakao, T., Aozasa, O., Shimidzu, Y., Ochiai, F., Kida, T., Nishi, M., & Miyata, H. (2002). Comparison of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in fish, vegetables, and meats and levels in human milk of nursing women in Japan. Chemosphere, 46(5), 689–696.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Qiu, X., Zhu, T., & Hu, J. (2010). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and other flame retardants in the atmosphere and water from Taihu Lake, East China. Chemosphere, 80(10), 1207–1212.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, P. S., Couillard, C. M., Ikonomou, M. G., Johannessen, S. C., Lebeuf, M., Macdonald, R. W., & Tomy, G. T. (2009). Large and growing environmental reservoirs of Deca-BDE present an emerging health risk for fish and marine mammals. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 58(1), 7–10.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Saito, I., Onuki, A., & Seto, H. (2007). Indoor organophosphate and polybrominated flame retardants in Tokyo. Indoor Air, 17(1), 28–36.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schecter, A., Haffner, D., Colacino, J., Patel, K., Papke, O., Opel, M., & Birnbaum, L. (2010). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclodecane (HBCD) in composite U.S. food samples. Environmental Health Perspectives, 118(3), 357–362.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shi, T., Chen, S. J., Luo, X. J., Zhang, X. L., Tang, C. M., Luo, Y., Ma, Y. J., Wu, J. P., Peng, X. Z., & Mai, B. X. (2009). Occurrence of brominated flame retardants other than polybrominated diphenyl ethers in environmental and biota samples from southern China. Chemosphere, 74(7), 910–916.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, Y. X., Luo, X. J., Mo, L., Zhang, Q., Wu, J. P., Chen, S. J., Zou, F. S., & Mai, B. X. (2012). Brominated flame retardants in three terrestrial passerine birds from South China: geographical pattern and implication for potential sources. Environmental Pollution, 162, 381–388.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tian, M., Chen, S. J., Wang, J., Shi, T., Luo, X. J., & Mai, B. X. (2011). Atmospheric deposition of halogenated flame retardants at urban, e-waste, and rural locations in southern China. Environmental Science and Technology, 45(11), 4696–4701.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tornkvist, A., Glynn, A., Aune, M., Darnerud, P. O., & Ankarberg, E. H. (2011). PCDD/F, PCB, PBDE, HBCD and chlorinated pesticides in a Swedish market basket from 2005—levels and dietary intake estimations. Chemosphere, 83(2), 193–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tue, N. M., Takahashi, S., Suzuki, G., Isobe, T., Viet, P. H., Kobara, Y., Seike, N., Zhang, G., Sudaryanto, A., & Tanabe, S. (2013). Contamination of indoor dust and air by polychlorinated biphenyls and brominated flame retardants and relevance of non-dietary exposure in Vietnamese informal e-waste recycling sites. Environment International, 51, 160–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verreault, J., Gebbink, W. A., Gauthier, L. T., Gabrielsen, G. W., & Letcher, R. J. (2007). Brominated flame retardants in glaucous gulls from the Norwegian Arctic: more than just an issue of polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Environmental Science and Technology, 41(14), 4925–4931.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vonderheide, A. P., Mueller, K. E., Meija, J., & Welsh, G. L. (2008). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers: causes for concern and knowledge gaps regarding environmental distribution, fate and toxicity. Science of the Total Environment, 400(1–3), 425–436.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Voorspoels, S., Covaci, A., Neels, H., & Schepens, P. (2007). Dietary PBDE intake: a market-basket study in Belgium. Environment International, 33(1), 93–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wei, H., Aziz-Schwanbeck, A. C., Zou, Y., Corcoran, M. B., Poghosyan, A., Li, A., Rockne, K. J., Christensen, E. R., & Sturchio, N. C. (2012). Polybromodiphenyl ethers and decabromodiphenyl ethane in aquatic sediments from southern and eastern Arkansas, United States. Environmental Science and Technology, 46(15), 8017–8024.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, R. Q., Wei, H., Guo, J. H., & Li, A. (2012). Emerging brominated flame retardants in the sediment of the great lakes. Environmental Science and Technology, 46(6), 3119–3126.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu, Y. X., Huang, N. B., Zhang, X. Y., Li, J. L., Yu, Z. Q., Han, S. Y., Lu, M., Van de Wiele, T., Wu, M. H., Sheng, G. Y., & Fu, J. M. (2011). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in food and associated human daily intake assessment considering bioaccessibility measured by simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Chemosphere, 83(2), 152–160.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, L., Li, J., Zhao, Y., Li, X., Wen, S., Shen, H., & Wu, Y. (2013a). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in foods from China: levels, dietary intake, and risk assessment. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 61(26), 6544–6551.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, L., Li, J. G., Liu, X., Zhao, Y. F., Li, X. W., Wen, S., & Wu, Y. N. (2013b). Dietary intake of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs from the Chinese total diet study in 2007. Chemosphere, 90(5), 1625–1630.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, Y., Ma, J., Qiu, X., Lin, Y., Yang, Q., & Zhu, T. (2013). Gridded field observations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and decabromodiphenyl ethane in the atmosphere of North China. Environmental Science and Technology, 47(15), 8123–8129.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, X. B., Wu, J. P., Luo, X. J., Zeng, Y. H., She, Y. Z., & Mai, B. X. (2012). Halogenated flame retardants in home-produced eggs from an electronic waste recycling region in South China: levels, composition profiles, and human dietary exposure assessment. Environment International, 45, 122–128.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research project was supported by the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (NCET-10-0106), a 985 Engineering Project (MUC985-9), and the Institution of Higher Education Innovation Talent Recruitment Program (111 Program, B08044).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life and Environment Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, 10081, China

    Peng Li, Hui Wu, Qiuxu Li, Jun Jin & Ying Wang

  2. Engineering Research Center of Food Environment and Public Health, Beijing, 10081, China

    Jun Jin

Authors
  1. Peng Li
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hui Wu
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Qiuxu Li
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jun Jin
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ying Wang
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jun Jin.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Li, P., Wu, H., Li, Q. et al. Brominated flame retardants in food and environmental samples from a production area in China: concentrations and human exposure assessment. Environ Monit Assess 187, 719 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4947-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4947-y

Keywords